THE LORD IS RIGHTEOUS

 THE LORD IS RIGHTEOUS

Ps. 11:7 For the LORD is righteous, and he loves justice. Those who do what is right will see his face. NLT

How upright are you? It is those who do what is right before God who will see His face. We cannot live in sin and expect God to accept it. We will not be allowed in His presence if we fail to live submissively and obediently to His Word. It just won’t happen. It then becomes an important issue to address. Can you honestly say that you are living by God’s rules and standards to the best of your ability? When was the last time you took a serious look at what God says and looked at yourself in light of it? God’s Word is our measuring stick, not what we or someone else thinks.

The Lord is righteous, meaning He always does what is right. He is incapable of not doing what is right. Holiness is His character and He commands us to strive to be the same. Those who are one with the Lord in heart will live in holiness and see His face.

The Lord loves justice. He will not play favorites with anyone. Everyone will be judged for the righteousness and holiness of their heart. God always levels the playing field. And, only Jesus can do that. He alone is our righteousness and holiness from God. He alone will make all things right with God.

So, take a look in the mirror. Can you honestly say that you are doing your best to live in the righteousness of Christ, or are you trying to be righteous on your own? Or, does being righteous even concern you? Only the righteous in heart will see God and only Christ can make you righteous. Only the righteousness of Christ can shield you from the wrath of God on Judgment Day.

THE LORD STILL RULES FROM HEAVEN

 THE LORD STILL RULES FROM HEAVEN

Ps. 11:4 But the LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD still rules from heaven. He searches everything closely, examining everyone on earth. NLT

The Lord is in His holy temple. Lest we forget it, the Lord our God is holy and He is surrounded by only that which is holy. Holiness is His dwelling place. We dare not lose the significance of this truth to our souls! The Lord will not tolerate anything less than holiness in His presence. He cannot not. It behooves us therefore to always strive to live holy lives and the only way we can do that is to live under the holiness of Christ.

The Lord rules from heaven. There is nothing outside the realm of His rule. He created all things, orders their existence, and controls their destiny. There is nothing that can ever wrestle anything from His control over them. All things exist by His permission and for His purposes.

He searches everything closely to ensure that everything continues to function properly until He comes to change everything. From the greatest to the smallest display of His creative genius, He watches over them and keeps them going. Without the Lord's hand on His creation, life would not exist.

He examines everyone on earth. Nothing anyone does escapes His notice. He knows everyone's heart. He knows the righteousness and sin that is there. He knows the intent of the heart, whether it's to glorify self or Him. He knows whether or not we are cooperating with Him to fulfill His plans for us or not. He knows whether or not we are fit for heaven.

Dear friend, do not think for one moment that you are not being watched from heaven. No one is going to have any excuse for not obeying the Lord. He has given us very clear guidelines to follow in order to make it to heaven. The issue becomes then whether or not we are submitted to Him. If Jesus is not your Lord now, He will be on Judgment Day. Every knee will bow before Him and declare Him to be Lord, whether they want to or not. Are you living in Christ today? Does He rule your heart?

THE LORD MAKES HIMSELF KNOWN

 THE LORD MAKES HIMSELF KNOWN

Ps. 9:10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, have never abandoned anyone who searches for you. NLT

Isn’t that great news?!!! NO ONE who searches for the Lord searches in vain. The Lord does not hide himself from anyone who wants to find Him. The Lord is waiting with a longing heart for anyone who wants Him to come to Him so he can give them eternal life and all the riches of life in Him. There is no one who will be turned away! Hallelujah, what a Savior!

The Lord has never, and never will, abandon anyone who searches for Him. The Lord is not a teaser. He is faithful to be present all the time for those who seek Him. He never leaves or forsakes those who seek Him. He can be counted on all the time to be there whenever we call upon Him. We don’t have to stand in line or get a number to get to Him. He is always available to all who seek Him out. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

And, the Lord makes it easy for us; He makes himself known to us everywhere we go. He reveals himself in all that He has created, He reveals himself through the printed page, He reveals himself through the many lives who surround us who have already been changed by Him, and He reveals himself through our conscience when we know we do things that are wrong. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Have you found the Lord? Do you know the wondrous joy of knowing Him as your Savior and Lord? You will never know just how awesome life is until you seek Him out and find Him. He loves you and longs for you to live in fellowship with Him. If you know Him, thank and praise Him right now for His welcoming you into His love and grace. If you don’t know Him, open your heart to Him now while you still can. You will be so glad you did.       

A SHELTER IN LIFE'S STORMS

 A SHELTER IN LIFE'S STORMS

Ps. 9:9-10 The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, have never abandoned anyone who searches for you. NLT

These verses remind me of a hymn we sang a lot when I was growing up, A Shelter in the Time of Storm. As I have lived a while now, I can attest to the truthfulness of these verses today. The storms of life come, and they often come unexpectedly and from unexpected places. I have discovered that the Lord never leaves us alone to weather the storms. He is always there to steady my soul, strengthen me, and show me the way through them. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Those who know God by name trust in Him. It is good for the soul to meditate on the names used in Scripture to identify who God is. The name God used to reveal himself to Moses was "I AM." God is eternally the self-existent one. He is ever-present and all-sufficient for every need. He is Lord, ruler over all that is. Nothing is out of His control. He is sovereign and always will be over His creation. The Scriptures describe God through the use of many names. Blessed are those who know God on a name basis.

Knowing God well enables us to trust Him well. We discover that He is forever reliable. He never abandons His children. He is always easily found by those looking for Him. No matter how violent the storms of life may get, we can take refuge in Him knowing that we are safe and everything will be alright.

"Thank you, O Lord, for you have made yourself known to us. You have shown us that you are trustworthy and we can always take refuge in you when the storms of life come our way. Thank you, Lord, for never turning us away when we seek you out and never abandoning us. In Jesus' name. Amen.”

GOD IS WAITING FOR YOU

 GOD IS WAITING FOR YOU.

Ps. 8:3-5 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you have set in place—what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us? For you made us only a little lower than God, and you crowned us with glory and honor. NLT

Have you ever wondered why the Lord even bothers with us? I know I have. Mankind started out so well, living in close fellowship with God day and night. Then, because God gave man the freedom of choice, sin entered into the heart of man. From that day on, man has tried the patience of God. God time after time sought to bring man back into fellowship with himself, but man stubbornly rejected Him. Mankind has throughout history displayed horrendous evil. Yet, God has not destroyed us.

We are still here only because of God's love for us. He longs for fellowship with the human soul. Mankind is the only part of all creation that has a soul. We alone can have fellowship with God. God made us special so that we can enjoy each other's company forever and ever. We are the crowning glory of all that He has created.

There is no other explanation as to why God has not put an end to life as we know it. He loves us and longs to save us from our sins so that we can spend eternity with Him. He is allowing us to hang around so that more and more of us can be saved. His love for us compels Him to wait a little bit longer, until all who can be saved will be saved.

You are very special to God. He made you just as you are, in His own image. He made you for himself. He loves you and longs for your love and fellowship. He is very patient and will wait as long as He possibly can for you to be right with Him. How about it? Is your heart right with God today? Just remember, we don't know how far God's patience with us will take Him. It may run out very soon; it could be even today.   

NATION JUDGMENT

 NATION JUDGMENT

Ps. 7:8 The LORD passes judgment on the nations. Declare me righteous, O LORD, for I am innocent, O Most High! NLT

One of the things we discover as we read through the Old Testament is that the Lord does indeed pass judgment on the nations. Over and over again God pours out His judgment on those nations who reject Him. He spared no one who did not honor and serve Him. I believe that nothing has changed over time. God clearly warns the world that judgment is coming. He will put up with man’s insolence and rebellion for just so long and then He brings down the hammer. We are no different. There is coming a day of judgment for us as a nation. The further we wander away from God, the sooner that day will come. It is not too late to prolong our day of judgment. We must take God seriously and pray for His mercy and forgiveness for our sins. We must continue to warn our friends and neighbors about our need for repentance. We must continue to speak out against the sin and injustices of our society.

God told His people that if they were to humble themselves before Him, seek Him and confess their sins, that He would hear their prayers, forgive them, and heal their land. How do we make a difference in our world? We simply do what God says we must do. The Lord needs His children to be world leaders, to lead the world to Him. It is our mandate. Are you obeying God?

The Psalmist declares his innocence to the Lord. Do we dare do that? Are you confident enough of the righteousness of your heart that you can ask the Lord to declare you innocent of sin? Let us strive to be that kind of a person, a person who knows he is right with God because of his faithfulness in pursuing holy living.

Before you can lead others to the Lord, you must first humble yourself before Him, seek His face, and confess your sins. When your heart is right with God, you can make a huge difference in the lives of others. Is your heart right with God today?

LEAD ME, O LORD

 LEAD ME, O LORD

Ps. 5:8 Lead me in the right path, O LORD, or my enemies will conquer me. Tell me clearly what to do, and show me which way to turn. NLT

This is a prayer the Lord will answer every time in a positive way. He will never say no to this type of a prayer. The Lord wants us to walk on the right path, the path that leads us to God. This path is often a difficult one and is not traveled by most. It is a path that oftentimes is obscured so that we can’t see very far ahead of us. On this path, we must rely heavily on the Lord to help us stay on it. We have to take one step at a time so we don’t stumble and fall. We have to be determined to stay on it and keep ourselves in good shape so we don’t give up when things get difficult, and they will. This path is not for the weak or faint of heart; they simply will not persevere. The Lord will do for us what we cannot do. He will keep us on track, if we let Him.

The Lord is our navigator. We must always seek Him for guidance. He will never leave us in the dark. He will show us clearly what we should be doing and how to get to where we are going. He knows the way home, for He is the way and has already blazed the trail for us. As long as we let Him lead us, we won’t make wrong turns and wander away from God.

Always remember this, whenever we strike out on our own we will make wrong turns. And every wrong turn we take leads us into the wilderness where we will lose our way. We cannot stay in clear view of Christ when we wander away from Him and strike out on our own. In order to stay on the path that leads to God, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our salvation.

Where is the path you are on today leading you—closer to God or away from Him? Ask the Lord right now to be your leader and then let Him lead you. You will be glad you did.